Life Without the Effects of Trial Attorneys
By Robert L. Jaskulski
October 2007

From the minute you wake up to the minute you go to sleep, your life is affected by the work of trial attorneys. What's that you say? You already knew that? Well, maybe it's not in the way you thought.

Did you ride in a car today? If so, did it burst into flames in a low-speed collision a la Ford's infamous Pinto? Well, the recall of the so-called "firetrap" was spurred by the action of trial attorneys seeking justice for injured consumers. Their efforts were successful and you no longer are exposed to serious injury or death from the fabulous Ford Pinto.

Have you ever gone to school or had a job? For decades office buildings and schools were insulated with a magical product called asbestos. Unfortunately asbestos wasn't only good at insulating, but also at causing cancer. You're probably not all that worried about getting cancer from asbestos though, and with good reason. Trial attorneys took action against those who manufactured the product, tighter restrictions were put in place and asbestos is no longer used.

In the trial attorneys' research it was discovered the manufacturers knew of the dangers of asbestos as early as the 1930s and yet they failed to warn workers and did nothing to test for the effect. In fact, internal company documents depict a conscious "cover-up" of asbestos' hazards.

Do you smile when you see someone pushing a baby in a stroller at the mall? Imagine how quickly that smile would fade if the stroller collapsed in the middle of the food court. Don't think it can happen? Well, with the work of one Wisconsin trial attorney it's a lot less likely.

Some of Cosco's strollers had a weak mechanism that caused the product to collapse. Not only did the company know about it (they received more than 3,000 complaints) they actually sold a replacement part (at an additional cost of course). The problem is, Cosco never told anyone. A Wisconsin trial attorney took action against Cosco, and based on his work, a recall was issued for the stroller.

So far, your day sounds like it would be pretty rough without the effects of trial attorneys. It's understandable if your head hurts. Go ahead, take a Tylenol. Oh, but don't drink any wine. That might be common knowledge now but it wasn't a few years ago. It wasn't until a trial attorney took action and exposed the toxic reaction created by taking Tylenol and drinking alcohol that the federal Food and Drug Administration warned the public of the danger.

So you've made it to bed at the end of a long day. Relax. Get a good night's rest knowing that across the state there are thousands of hard working men and women dedicated to protecting you and your family.

And sleep well knowing that the pajamas your kids' are sleeping in are no longer made with highly flammable fabric thanks to the work of a Wisconsin trial… Well, you get the picture.